Winnipeg Transit

brainstorm

BRT Blue line needs to scrap lights at their intersections.

Use railway style arms instead.

Just like an LRT would use for an approaching train. The concept is exactly the same for a bus. A bus approaches on BRT, arm goes down, traffic stops very briefly, arm goes back up. Bus never has to slow down. Busses need 100% right of way on these lines for better speed.

https://www.google.com/maps/search/lrt/@49.8483403,-97.1666899,125m/data=!3m1!1e3?authuser=1&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDczMC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Carboy15

brainstorm

Heck yeah, that's exactly what needs to be done. I was thinking that the BRT way needs to have railway style crossing gates to give it full right of way. It seems the Los Angeles Metro G Line (formerly Orange Line) has installed that at some of its crossings. This way the BRT way can function like LRT until the city has enough money to convert it.

You never know, maybe the LRT may not even need to happen. The sole reason I wanted it in the first place is because it has full right of way compared to BRT. LRT should still be considered, but BRT could be used to its full potential along with its current benefits including cost-savings and higher frequency than LRT.

brainstorm

This is how you handle St Vital.

CURRENT CONFUSING MESS:

PROPOSED SIMPLIFICATION:

Of the existing 4 busses:

1 gets added to Orange extension (to keep 5-10min frequency).
1 gets added to F6 Dakota extension (to keep 5-10min frequency)
The other 2 run cross loops (true feeders) into all 3 spines. Frequency 15-30min.

Simple, easily understood.

This way all of St Mary's and Dakota are on the main spine. Reducing a transfer entirely. Feeders only have to collect the deeper houses in the subdivisions.

Carboy15

brainstorm

And that's a good idea too. I feel like the suburban areas should have snakes like that going alongside frequent lines. The city routes (like Abinoji, Lag, Route 90) should at least have Frequency lines with a few snake lines. Bus Route 74 should be split into two parts with seperate snakes and a Frequent line running along most of the length of Route 90.

Carboy15

I feel like the Inner Ring Road should use a Ring BRT way. Especially Route 90 would benefit from this.

brainstorm

Carboy15 Ya man I was actually just playing with something similar. Either on the ring road or even the Perimeter.

Some sort of "cross-hatching" to link up all the spines.

A direct route that only stops at the intersection of each spine for ultra expedited service. And a few of the most major intersecting transfer stations.

brainstorm

For the dedicated curb-lane diamond lanes.....

Re-pave them with pigmented asphalt.

This makes lanes super obvious to drivers to avoid.
The pigment doesn't wear off like paint does.
It makes the lane look more transit dedicated.
It spruces up the visual of the entire road.
It's super cheap, like $300k per km.

Carboy15

https://www.cp24.com/news/2025/08/15/ontario-allows-more-density-building-height-near-toronto-transit/

Little off topic, but for the BRT ways to work well, we need more population density and transit oriented development near the BRT way.

BlackDog

Carboy15

The city really f-ed up in terms of a BRT line, or even a bike path. At one time, there was an abandoned rail line (that since has has big box stores on St James Street, and residential homes in River Heights built over the old line. The city has no vision. It would have made a perfect BRT line from Red River College to Taylor avenue, and eventually Waverley West.

The old line paralleled St.James Street from Notre Dame avenue to the Assiniboine River. Going south, it ran parallel to Centennial Street in River Heights, until it merged into the CPR line along Wilkes Avenue. If Winnipeg had any vision, the not only would have made that a BRT and bike lane, but they could have built a relatively inexpensive underpass, through the rail tracks and the old Wilkes, and had it meet up and parallel the current tracks that go seperate Linden Woods and the Kenaston Industrial Park.

From there, they could ahve done what they wanted to, considering Waverley West was just a field. Why not direct it to the U of M, via Bishop Grandin or Bison Drive?

Carboy15

BlackDog

That's another missed opportunity for Winnipeg. Now we have to wait to see if the CP Lines will be bypassed around Winnipeg, that way the CP La Riviere/ BNSF Line between Taylor and Logan Ave could be converted to a BRT Way.

Carboy15

This would be a good idea for a BRT Corridor. It uses the McPhillips Transmission Line Corridor and the CP Rail Bed from Logan Ave to Rothwell Road.

BlackDog

I'll never forget when Sam Katz was elected, cancelling out the BRT plan for multiple routes over 20 years ago, promising a LRT, and failing to deliver. He was the worst mayor of my lifetime.

Carboy15

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/statscan-winnipeg-workers-commute-1.7619111

BlackDog

Carboy15 I read that yesterday. Imagine what Winnipeg would be like with a couple of LRT lines.

Carboy15

Totally. It's very hard to get around regardless of biking or public transit. We are too car centric. Even getting a commuter rail like to go to Selkirk would make sense. The CP La Riviere and Winnipeg Beach Sub could be converted to that. OR even a regional public transit system, but if people from Sage Creek won't even take public transit, it would be rather hard. It's like cars are the only choice.

Lots of people on Youtube or whatever tend to criticize suburbs and urban sprawl for that matter. At least expanding a bus line to go to Niverville via Hwy 59 through Grande Pointe and Ile Des Chenes could be a good starter.

I get it that others will say, "Nobody will take it outside the city". Well, we don't have a choice but to take a car.

This is a similar concept to how Copenhagen Denmark designed their city: A Finger Plan. Urban sprawl is strategically designed alongside rail lines and major roads to reduce congestion and have transit access.

Winnipeg could use a bike spoke plan to develop in these areas and strengthen Bus and Rail Access.

brainstorm

Carboy15 At least expanding a bus line to go to Niverville via Hwy 59 through Grande Pointe and Ile Des Chenes could be a good starter.

Absolutely man. Tie into the existing city network. Terminate stops at each of the BRT lines (Blue, Pink, Orange, Green). This doesn't need to be a government initiative either, anyone could start this up. Buy a bus and start your route. Sell a monthly fee.

Regardless of structure, there should be demand here to sustain a business.

brainstorm

Winnipeg's New Bus Garage

Is this a mechanic shop or an adult Ruckers? 🤨

There's more square footage for thumb twiddling than any strut changes. They were smart about picking Oak Point Hwy (cheap, open, accessible land).

But this is wasteful design extravagance. Typical gov.

brainstorm

Here's some examples of the painted bus curb lanes I was talking about above. For rapid routes without expensive elevated viaducts. Just regular old curb lanes with bus priority and no parking.

Paint them in the color the route represents. IE Blue for Blue line on Portage Ave. But use pigmented asphalt for longer life than paint.

Then the entire rapid route map shows on Google Satellite view. Augmenting over reality.

Obviously these examples are in highly urban congested areas. But you get the idea for semi-dense stroads like Portage, Henderson, Main, Regent, etc.

Google Maps. Route shows inherently on satellite view. No separate bus maps needed.

brainstorm

Here's a couple crude visuals of how they'd look.

Remember, this occurs in conjunction with aggressive light removals and Turbo T intersection conversions. Achieving very free flowing BRT, but saving billions vs full BRT viaducts and elevated transitways (which provide no added speed for the massive extra costs).

BlackDog

I'd be all for that. Apparently, Winnipeg uses public transportation at a rate greater than any Canadian city. We should be building up, not outward. A optimal transit system would encourage densification.

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